I’ve always felt that image was a huge contributor to an artist’s success in the rock ‘n’ roll business. But I never quite put together how important distinctive hair was…
“A Visual Compendium of Notable Haircuts in Popular Music” offset lithographic print by Pop Chart Lab.
- Ted Kulczycky
Lindsay Darling and Brittney Townson make up one of Toronto’s most energetic (not to mention adorable!) DJ duos, Bangs & Blush. With under a year as a team under their high-waisted belts, Bangs & Blush have already shared their love of 60’s rock & roll, pop, Motown and soul all over Toronto, from Queen West to Banana Republic’s Mad Men Launch this past July. While promising (and delivering) one of the “sweatiest dance parties in the city,” these ladies remain effortlessly charming and stylish, often paying tribute in dress to the vintage sounds they pound out.
How important do you rank overall aesthetic or style to achieving success within your industry?
Anyone can do or be anything they want, not because of experience or expertise, but with the right personality and attitude. Fashion and style are pretty much the strongest forms of self-expression. The way you dress conveys a certain message to people regarding what you’re about.
Have you ever used clothing as a way to alter or reinvent yourselves?
Of course. Everyone goes through phases… what we wear now was definitely not what either of us wore in high school. We’ve always loved Motown, soul, and 60’s, but both of us used to go to hardcore shows when we were teenagers. The two of us seem to have had the same progression when it comes to style.
Who is your favorite fictional style icon?
Carrie Bradshaw, Joan Holloway, Holly Golightly, Blair Waldorf… the women from John Hughes movies. The list is endless.
What was your personal style like in high school?
Brittney: I was all over the place; when I started high school I was a little tomboy. I started listening to a lot of punk and hardcore music, and then came the Chuck Taylors, studded belts, black hoodies, and I would tease my jet black hair big like Robert Smith. Then I wanted to be a mod. I’ve somehow come to try to combine all of that.
Lindsay: Ditto minus the Robert Smith hair. I was more into channeling my inner Courtney Love.
We all know the wonders of blush, but why bangs?
Bangs are a classic look on women: sexy and mysterious. Instantly dramatic. We’re changing the famous saying to “bangs have more fun.”
What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of being a duo? Do you find that you influence each other musically or style wise?
I think we’re both very individual, know what we want and are major perfectionists. Because of this though we work super well together because we both want the same things and have the same instincts. We definitely influence each other both musically and style wise.
A lot of what you play at your events consists of Motown Soul, 60’s pop and rock-n-roll. Do you have a tendency to lean towards vintage in your wardrobe as well as your music collections?
Brittney: Whether I was in my punk or mod phase, I was always obsessed with vintage and second hand clothing. If there’s one thing that’s never changed about my style choices, it’s that I always wanted to be wearing something original that no one else in the world had. I learned at a young age that shopping vintage would allow me to be original and stand out from the crowd. I appreciate the classic cuts, tailoring and prints of the clothes from the 60’s and 70’s… they just don’t make ‘em like they used to.
Lindsay: I do love vintage but I’m selective in my approach in that I tend towards high-end treasures from years passed. I love walking into Cabaret and having it all beautifully laid out for me. I also adore vintage jewelry and will quite often spend hours scouring bins at the Sunday St. Lawrence market for whatever catches my eye.
Top Ten Music Related Fashion Icons
Brigitte Bardot (John Lennon had a HUGE crush on her)
Mick Jagger
Marianne Faithfull
Vivienne Westwood
James Brown
The Supremes
Pamela Des Barres
Pattie Boyd
Jane Birkin
interview by Casie Brown
photography by Constantine Core
So I’m spinning records at WORN’s Decades Dance, and I’ve been contemplating what I’m going to play and thinking about “vintage music” in general.
I’m starting to wonder if there might be two completely different ways of listening to music. A lot of people tell me that they really like a specific song because it reminds them of a specific point in time… “My Prayer” by the Platters was playing on the radio when Laurie had her first kiss at the drive-in… The Fifth Dimension’s “Wedding Bell Blues” was all over the radio the week Emily’s daughter was born… Sam’s first slow dance was to Styx’s “Come Sail Away”…
Certainly, I have associations with some of my favourite music. I have a fond and vivid image in my mind of Matias’s first girlfriend screaming, “I’m not no limburger!” along with the B-52s’ “Dance this Mess Around” at the first real teenager party I attended. But that’s not even my earliest memory of it. When I was nine, my cousin Donny showed me the first B-52s album and said “This is New Wave. I’m not crazy about it, but it’s future music. It’s what you’ll be listening to when you’re a teenager.”
And he was right. But the crappy BASF tape I had copied his album on wore out a few years later. So I exchanged the Corey Hart record I had won from MuchMusic (I correctly identified all the celebrity cameos in the Ghostbusters video) at my favourite used record store for a genuine vinyl copy of the album. It sounded so much better than the crappy tape.
In the early 2000s, I had to go a while without a turntable. I remember being at the now-defunct Virgin Megastore at 14th and Broadway in New York and seeing the B-52s CD on sale for $5! I bought it and got back to the place I was staying, and listened to it on a DVD player through a crappy TV’s speakers. And it sounded damned good after going so long without hearing it.
A couple of years ago, I was managing a book warehouse, and we had a bunch of punk kids working there. They only had about six different tapes, but the one we’d agree to play the most was the B-52s.
My point is that I have MANY associations with “Dance this Mess Around” and the first B-52s album. Sometimes when I listen to it, I think about one old time or another. But sometimes I think about Kate Pierson’s amazing voice, and how I’d like to stay at her bed & breakfast. Sometimes I think that guitarist Ricky Wilson died way too soon. Sometimes I think about what I’m going to cook for dinner. The music seems to grow with me and adapt to what’s going on in my life.
But I recently attended a bazaar in a church basement, and as I walked in, A-HA’s “Take on Me” was blasting over the crappy sound system. Something about hearing that song while walking into a large room with stale air and a couple of hundred people put me into a time machine. It was like being 15 and crashing the dance at Northern Collegiate.
But let me make this clear, I HATED that song when I was 15. I found the lyrics insipid (and not just because English is A-HA’s second language). The singer’s performance is equal parts pretension and melodrama (with no hint of wit). The melody is crude and broad and the arrangement is unbearably eager but without any edges or solidity.
Alright I guess I still hate it. But something about hearing it…every once in a while…under the right circumstances…in the right environment…makes me feel good.
It seems odd that music I liked doesn’t particularly make me nostalgic, but music I hated does. I guess that I have associations with “Dance this Mess Around” because I like it, but I like “Take on Me” because I have associations with it.
I’d like some input on what songs WORN readers have associations with. I’m especially interested to hear what vintage music from the nineties really “takes you back.”
- Ted Kulczycky
